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Article published In:
Translation and the Formation of Collectivities: Special issue of Translation in Society 2:1 (2023)
Edited by Dilek Dizdar and Tomasz Rozmysłowicz
[Translation in Society 2:1] 2023
► pp. 33–52

The institutionalisation of sign language interpreting in Austria and its impact on the construction of the deaf world

A social worlds perspective

| University of Graz

Translation and Interpreting Studies research has traditionally drawn on progress models to describe professionalisation processes. In this paper, I will argue that an alternative approach based on two processual concepts, namely Anselm Strauss’s ‘social worlds’ (1978) and Thomas Gieryn’s ‘boundary work’ (1983) might offer new insights. Social worlds are interrelated agglomerations of agents who participate in certain activities and develop shared commitments and ideologies. Boundary work refers to the construction and maintenance of similarities and differences for inclusion in and exclusion from a group. To demonstrate the application of this theoretical-methodological framework, I will map the social worlds involved in the organisation of sign language interpreting in Austria at three crucial stages. I will discuss how the interrelations between the social worlds have influenced institutionalisation and professionalisation and how these in turn have shaped the social world of the sign language interpreters as well as the social world of deaf people.

Keywords: sign language interpreting, interpreting history, social worlds and arenas framework, boundary work, deaf world
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Data and methodology
  • 3.Theoretical framework
    • 3.1Boundary work
    • 3.2Social worlds and arenas
  • 4.The social world of sign language interpreting in three maps
    • 4.1Map 1: 19th century – teacher of the deaf-mute cum interpreter cum expert witness
    • 4.2Map 2: First half of the 20th century – family member cum interpreter cum social worker
    • 4.3Map 3: End of the 20th century – interpreter, period
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 10 March 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tris.22021.grb
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